Today LaCie announced the latest addition to its Rugged family of mobile hard drives ? the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0, combining the super speeds of USB 3.0 and LaCie's Rugged design.

The LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 provides speeds up to 110 MB/s - three times the speed of USB 2.0. The speed enhancement allows you to transfer one HD movie in less than 3 minutes (versus more than 8 minutes in USB 2.0). It offers improved power efficiency, so you only need one cable to be assured optimal performance.

If you do not have a USB 3.0 connection on your PC or notebook, you can easily add it with a LaCie USB 3.0 PCIe card or USB 3.0 PCIe Express card. LaCie also offers bundled options with the Rugged USB 3.0 ? you can choose the right card for your needs.

The LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0.

Housed in the Rugged casing designed by Neil Poulton, the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 features a scratch-resistant aluminum shell, internal anti-shock absorbers, and a shock-resistant rubber bumper to better protect files against everyday blunders.

The LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 will be available in 500GB capacity through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of $149.99 (VAT included).